Harry Potter and the Presence of the Heir
by Holly2
Summary: You will think Mary Sue at first, but if you like those really horrible crash endings where everything will never be happy agian, you will like it alot, Jordan is not perfect, but kind of a *****...brat. this will explaine why voldemort wants harry dead.
1. An Interesting Encounter

I do not own any of these characters, except Jordan McNeil and Gregory. They are all property of J.K. Rowling

The Presence of the Heir

It was early December when flue struck Hogwarts school. It was an especially bad case and most of the school was absent from classes ( including several teachers) for a few days. Ron and Hermione had been struck with the right after Harry fought it off. So harry walked alone to potions that day, or at least he thought he was alone. Walking down one of the corridors he heard an all too familiar voice from behind him. 

"Hey Potter" 

Harry turned around to find Malfoy smirking at him. 

"Did your friends finally wise up and leave you to yourself?" 

"What about your friends, Malfoy?" Harry retorted, for Malfoy was also alone for the same reason Harry was. Malfoy quieted at this but shot Harry an awful glare. Harry was about to continue on his way when there came another voice from his left. This voice was more mellow then the first and this time he was clueless to who it belonged to.   
"That didn't hold much Slytherin spirit, Draco." 

Harry looked back and saw Malfoy wearing a confused sort of look on his face. Standing next to him was a girl with light bond hair that glinted gold in yellow light of the lanterns hung on the wall. She wasn't very tall, and it was odd to see her standing there looking Malfoy, who was about twice as big as her and ten times uglier than her in the eye with no trace of anger or frustration. Malfoy pissed everyone off. Did she honestly think he would leave her alone after this, or was she just very stupid. The next few moments proved both these thoughts wrong. 

" What?" exclaimed Malfoy. 

"Its just that, I cant believe," she continued " that your going to give up bothering Harry so quickly. Im sorry that your so afraid of him when your little friends aren't around that you have to quit making your petty remarks to crawl up your ass in fear, or do you hang out in there all the time?"

Harry burst out laughing. He had never seen someone handle Malfoy like that. The look of confusion on his face and transformed from confusion to compete shock. His mouth was gaping open like a fish as he searched his mind for something to say.   
"Its all right," she said patting Malfoy on the shoulder with a kindhearted smile " you can send me an owl with your answer as soon as you figure out what I just said." She glided off with an expressionless face leaving Malfoy still stunned, and Harry hooting with laughter.

"Well that will give me my jollies for the day," she thought to herself as she continued down the corridor. " It has been a long time since I've made anyone laugh and successfully made a fool of some desperately pathetic weasel." It had been a long time since she had made someone laugh. She hadn't since she came here. How long had she been here anyway? It seemed like forever she had been the friendless no name on campus, but it hadn't been forever, it had been a little over a month and a half. 

She thought back to that day in mid September. What class had she been in? History? No, it had been math. The teacher, Mrs. Joyreaper, dragging on about something that made no difference to her, had called out her name. Actually the teacher had called it out several times, only she had been to busy adding to the intricate pencil design on her left arm to take notice. 

"Jordan McNeil, judging by how attentive you have been this period, I was hoping you could explain to the class how to factor and solve this problem," Mrs. Joyreaper said piercingly. 

She looked at the problem on the bored. It seemed to take up the whole thing. It was invading her brain and beating it to a bloody pulp. Why again had they put her with the smart kids? Oh, yes it was because thay had a strange notion that she herself was intelligent. Jordan thought to her self, "Well, they are right I am intelligent, its just that I don't care about x and y, and I don't see why I should." In all honesty there was no point in caring about the problem on the bored, not to Jordan. The drawings covering her papers and tests(and left arm) were what held her future, not x and y and were they intercept. Jordan didn't want to do anything that involved math as a future job and would die before she did. What was the point of living if she hated what she did in her life? She was tired of the teacher's remarks on her ability to not listen in class. It was time to make it clear. 

"Judging by the fact that I don't care," she said in response to Mrs. Joyreaper's blabbering, "you may as well turn your hopes to someone else." 

Mrs. Joyreaper crinkled her stunningly pink lips into a squished little prune and gave a great blink to cover a quick roll of her eyes.

"Ms. McNeil, You may find this surprising, but mathematics will some day be a necessary skill for your everyday life," she commented in her high whining voice.

"I'll worry about that when I get there," said Jordan with a light shrug.

In the end Mrs. Joyreaper gave up and gave Jordan a detention for her "bad attitude." Jordan went back to the design on her arm. She knew she shouldn't have pushed the teacher's button like that. She knew when to stop, but sometimes she just couldn't take it anymore. The thought of detention had her feeling a bit low. She rarely got them, because most times she just lied and gave teachers what they wanted. Honesty got you in trouble so Jordan generally avoided it. She receded back into her own world. She couldn't even see her arm anymore and didn't know she was still drawing it because she was so deep in her thoughts. Her mind went clear. The feelings that did invade her brain were uncommonly pure. The strongest was: "I wish I wasn't here."

The black of her mind melted away and in its place came a fuzzy white light. She was spinning around and she didn't care that her logical thinking told her that was impossible and she was sitting math class. Screw logic. 

Just as the black had given way to light, the light gave way to color which slowly gathered itself into place. There she was, in a forest of evergreens and maples with burning leaves and bare oaks. 

" I have either died or fainted," she thought "because this is way to much like 'The Wizard of Oz.'"

Utterly confused, she came to the conclusion that she had no idea where she was, she had no idea how to get back, but it wasn't math class, so she might as well make the best of it. If she had fainted, she would come to quickly, and if she had died, she would probably be here for a long time and better get to exploring it. After all, it was a very interesting place to be dead in. 

She crunched along in the fallen leaves going in no particular direction. She was entranced by her surroundings. She had been in many forests before. She liked going on walks with fiends and her family went camping every summer, but this forest was different. She didn't know how. She could identify almost all the trees and plants, but she somehow knew that she had never been in a forest like this in her life.

Suddenly, Jordan heard something coming from a distance in her direction, but she wasn't worried. In fact she was relieved, for the sound was of a human walking, not of some fearful unknown animal. She began to run tward the sound, which continued to come her way. It was only about a minute later that she saw who the footsteps belonged to. She was confronted with a tall boy of about her age. He was wearing a long black robe that matched his hair and his eyes, covered by thick rimmed round glasses, glittered green. Jordan might have noticed that this was a very odd sight, but she was too relieved by finding help to notice the oddities. The boy hadn't spotted her yet because he called out "Hagrid? Is that you?" 

"No, over here," Jordan shouted.

The boy turned his gaze to her. He looked a bit surprised. 

"Um… hello," he mumbled "who are you?" 

"I'm Jordan McNeil and I don't know where I am," she cried urgently. Jordan was brave when she had to be, but when help came she was quick to forget her pride. 

"Well…uhh… your in the forbidden forest…" he stammered. He was looking her up and down with an unreadable look that seemed to be a mixture of complete confusion and total understanding. She decided not to try and decipher it.   
"Look, I don't know how you got here or… um… what's going on, so…uhh…I'm gona take you to Dumbledor," he said finally. 

"To who?" Jordan said with a high almost scared tone.

"Never mind," he said, " Just follow me."

A few more steps and they were out of the forest, and Jordan found it very hard to "never mind" because of her current surroundings. Above her rose a massive stone castle decorated with gargoyles and towers and beautiful old English architecture. She felt like a bag of popcorn about to explode with questions, but she only asked one. 

"I'm sorry," she started " but who are you?" 

"Oh right," the boy said with a smile " I'm Harry Potter."

~~~Hey, I'll post the next chapter soon. I'm just to technologically challenged to do it without my friend, so don't make fun of me! It's not my fault my parents are retarded and didn't get me a computer until like 5000 years after they were invented. So there! No, I'm not really that bitter, but I am technologically challenged, so the next chapter will be up in a little while. Please review me and tell me how much I suck. Thanx! 


	2. A Strange Encounter

Chapter two:

Jordan had been lead into the castle and down a long hallway. Harry had stopped at one of the doors and knocked. The door opened and a middle aged woman with black hair pulled into a tight bun and a strict face appeared. Like Harry she was wearing a long black robe and for the first time Jordan noticed and thought it peculiar. The woman looked her up and down and then looked at Harry.

"What is going on here?" she exclaimed. "You know muggles aren't allowed into Hogewarts! How on earth did she get here?"

"That's what I was trying to figure out, Professor McGonagle" Harry said. "I found her in the woods…"

Professor Mcgonale gave harry a dark look. 

"Well I wonder what you were doing in there!" she said in a huffy voice. 

"I had gone to visit Hagrid after lunch. There was a note that said he was in the forest. I was about to go back to when I heard footsteps. I thought it was Hagrid so I went to look." Harry commented pleadingly. 

"Well Harry, I don't know what to do with you right now because there is a much more pressing matter," she said, shooting a look at Jordan. "I guess I should take her to Dumbledor. You go back to the Gryffindor tower and mind you stay there. 

"Yes Professor." Harry said with a downward look. 

Professor Mcgonale took Jordan down what seemed like a labrynth of halls and stopped in front of a gargoyle on the wall and said "Chocolate Frogs." Jordan had given up on marking all the strange things the people were doing in these strange surroundings. "Ok," she thought "sure chocolate frogs are perfectly normal, I'll go with that." The gargoyle opened and revealed and entrance way into what seemed to be an office. It was filled with portraits of men wearing robes and tall pointy hats of different colors. In the corner was a cage with a brilliant red bird that she couldn't name sitting inside preening. On a large desk in front of her was an old man with white hair that fell down his back and a beard that was equally long. On his very crooked nose rested half moon shaped glasses. When he saw Jordan he raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't hold the look of astonishment that Harry and the professor had shown on their faces when they saw her.   
Professor Mcgonale started talking almost immediately, but the old man quieted her almost instantly, though she still looked like she was about to burst with things to say. 

"Its all right Minerva," he said "You can tell me everything in a minute." 

The old man turned to Jordan and said:

" Hello, I am Albus Dumbledor. What might your name be."   
"Jordan McNeil," Jordan replied.

Dumbledor seemed to consider this for a moment, and then nodded approvingly. 

"Jordan would you be so kind as too leave Minerva and I here for a moment and go sit in the hall. We have a bit to discus. It shouldn't take too long," he said in a soft kind voice. 

Jordan nodded and he smiled at her in a way that made her want to smile back, and she would have if she hadn't been so nervous. To Jordan's surprise the old man got up and led her back out into the hall way. He then flicked out his sleeve and took in hand a little shined up stick. Or was it a wand? With a little flick of his wrist he said:

"Presento!" and out of nowhere a chair appeared against the wall. Jordan stared at it aukwardly. "I didn't just see that," she thought "and I didn't appear randomly in a strange forest either so I must still be in Math class only I'm not so yes, I did just see that. Logic, would you please shut up, your getting me confused, and I never liked you anyway. If people call math logical, then so is this. Carry on!" With that strange thought finished she sat down in the chair and Dumbledor went back through the opening made by the gargoyle.

"I can handle this," Jordan thought " I'll just turn my brain off for a while, I've always been good at that." She was just about to drift into nothingness when she heard someone coming down the hall. She looked up to see who the next interesting character would be. The man was walking tward her was tall with greasy black hair and rubbery pail skin. His black eyes were glaring at her from all the way down the hall and when he stopped in front of her they were still fixed on her eyes. Once again she dealt with the looking up and down the slight surprise at her appearance.   
"What would a _student _be doing sitting alone outside the headmaster's office," came his voice as cold and hard as the stone wall behind her. 

So Dumbledor was the headmaster of the castle which must really be a school.

"Dumbledor told me to wait here," Jordan said, all the while staring him strait in the eye as he had stared at her. She wasn't going to be scared of him, he wouldn't win. Of course that attitude hadn't gotten her too far today. On the contrary it had taken her into an unknown castle…. But before she could tell her logic to shut up again Dumbledor came out into the hall.

"Ah Severus, I see you have met Jordan McNeil," Dumbledor said. 

"Yes, I have been done the honor," the man said sarcastically accompanied by a roll of his little black eyes. 

"Well if you don't mind, I have to have a talk with Jordan for a minute," Dumbledor continued. 

Jordan got up and walked back into the office with the headmaster. She was hopeful that she would finally find out what was going on, but in the end she was left even more confused than before. 

Dumbledor took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Jordan to sit opposite him. 

"I assume you have found you surroundings a bit different than you would have expected," he said.

"Yes I have sir," she said with a nod. 

"Well I think I may be able to decipher how you got her and why you are here in the first place. Could you tell me how this began?" Dumbledor asked.

Jordan told him of math class (conveniently leaving out the part about detention) and suddenly spinning into a forest that collected itself into life, along with everything else. 

"Hm…. Well that's very interesting," said Dumbledor. " based on your description of these events I would say you apparated here on accident." 

He didn't wait for the look of confusion on Jordan's part, just plunged right into an explanation.

"Apparation," he continued "is the act of dissapearing in one place and the next moment appearing again in another. Most people must be taught to apparate, and technically it is illegal until you have a license. I think that I can clear it with the ministry of magic in your case. We were expecting something like this out of you for a while." 

Dumbledor continued, explaining that the castle was a school of witchcraft and wizardry called Hogewarts, that yes he did have a magic wand, that Jordan was witch, and that most student started Hogwarts at age eleven, and that she was probably a late bloomer and on and on and on. In the end Jordan asked only one question.

"Excuse me," she said "but if you were expecting me to do something magical, then why didn't you invite me to school when I was eleven. It was obviously clear to you and the ministry that I was magic." 

"Ah, yes in most cases that is what would have been done but for certain reasons yours was a bit different. I disagreed to this decision but I am not the minister of magic, so we came to an agreement. If you discovered the magical world on you own accord, you would be accepted into school. If not, you would live your life as a muggle." 

"Why is it different for me," she asked.

"I'm afraid this is not the time or place to tell you. But here, take this 

acceptance letter to you parents and in your case I think I should come and have a good talk with them. Is Saturday ok?"  
"Sure, Saturday is fine," Jordan said. 

At this point the Jordan had completely shut down the logic section so it was easy for her to go with Saturday. It was easy to understand that she was a witch. Everything was perfectly sensible when you didn't challenge it. 

"All right then, Ill arrive around twelve," he said.

~~~Don't make fun of my spelling it hurts my feelings. Your mother should have taught you better than that. Anyway, be nice to me and review. And yes, it will get more interesting. 


	3. the beginning of adventure

Chapter three:

Jordan ended up getting back home with the help of the real Hagrid. She was taken to the forest and asked herself to go back to math. In an instant she was there. She looked around and everyone was staring at her, horrified. 

"Ok, I guess I didn't die," she thought to herself "just passed out." 

However, she was quite wrong about this. She looked up to see Mrs. Joyreaper staring at her with her mouth in such a tight little prune that her heavily made up lips were no longer pink, but white – a result of having all the blood squeezed out of them. 

"Well Jordan, I honestly thought better of you," she screeched, " It is more than widely known that you are impartial to math, but really, I didn't think you had the nerve to just walk out of here!" 

"I walked out?" 

Jordan was in the process of putting pieces together to figure out if she indeed had fainted or where she had been when she wasn't here. Or had she been here? Not according to Mrs. Joyreaper. So she hadn't fainted, and she hadn't died, unless this was hell. Maybe the castle had been limbo and they had decided that she wasn't good enough for heaven( she didn't blame them) and they had sent her to hell. Mrs. Joyreaper was probably the devil; she certainly fit the part.   
"You mean," Jordan continued "that you saw me get up and walk out of the room." 

"I said you left," she whined " can you explain how you can just be here one moment and then suddenly disappear for about half an hour." 

"No Mrs. Joyreaper, you said I walked out of here. Did you actually see me get up and leave?" Jordan asked. 

" This is no time for smart-aleck remarks, Jordan," she continued.

" I'm not being a smart-aleck!" Jordan almost yelled " I'm just trying to figure out what happened." 

"Jordan you do know what happened, you're the one who left. Don't ask me for an explanation!" hollered Mrs. Joyreaper. 

Mrs. Joyreaper was so red in the face, Jordan thought her head might explode and she would be covered in teacher guts for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this did not happen. 

"Jordan, in addition to your detention this afternoon, you will also be attending school this Saturday, from Nine to One, and if you know what's good for you, you will make sure you don't walk out on that!" she hissed. 

Jordan was in a slump for the rest of the day. She was coming to the conclusion that she had a young case of insanity. Of course, people who were insane didn't know they were. Oh well, there was no better explanation. It was not until she got home that afternoon, after she explained to her enraged parents about the detention, after she received a horrible taunting from her older brother and sister, that she discovered the acceptance letter still in her hand. She stared at if for a moment, baffled. She shook her head, set it down on her dresser, and went to bed. 

The next day at nine o'clock he mother drove her to Saturday school. Right after her mother dropped her off in the parking lot, she remembered that Dumbledor had said he would arrive around twelve on Saturday. She started to tell herself that Dumbledor didn't exist but just then she remembered the letter sitting on her dresser. 

"If he does show up," Jordan thought " that will be quite a relief for me and quite a surprise for my parents." 

It was about twelve fifteen when the telephone in the detention room range. Ms. Clark, the detention lady, picked it up.

"Yes, she is here," Ms. Clark answered to the voice on the other end of the line, " Yes, if its an emergency… certainly, I'll send her to the office right away."

"Ms. McNeil," Jordan looked up from her books to answer the teacher "you are to go to the office right away. Your detention is over. Your mother will be picking you up shortly." 

Jordan nodded and collected her things. Had Dumbledor really showed up. or had Lauren tripped over her platform shoes and broken her wrist. No it had to be Dumbledor. She just wasn't lucky enough for the other option. 

As soon as her mother arrived she started ranting about an old man with a long white beard showing up at their house and wanting to talk to the family. It took about five minutes for Jordan to quiet her and tell her that she would explain when they got home. 

When they did get home, things went better than Jordan had expected. Her father did not suffer a major heart attack, and after many hours of talking the family finally believed Dumbledor. However, Lauren didn't trip over her platforms and break her wrist. Damn! Still, the highlight didn't come until evening when she found out that she would not have to suffer through her school for one more day. She would leave on Monday to get all her school supplies for Hogwarts.


	4. Ollivanders

Chapter four: Olivander's

Early Monday morning Hagrid picked Jordan up from her house and they made there way to London. When they arrived he took her into a little tavern and out through the back. They were met with a brick wall which Hagrid tapped with his umbrella that he seemed to take everywhere with him. At the touch of the umbrella the bricks moved aside and rearranged until they formed an entrance way onto a crowded street lined with shops and filled with witches and wizards. This time, Jordan wasn't confused, but excited. She almost skipped down the alley with Hagrid literally twice as tall and three times as wide as her looming over head. 

First they stopped to get her school books, including the ones for beginners, because she didn't know the slightest bit about magic. She was to be tutored after classes and on weekends by some of the teachers. Jordan was entering her fifth year at Hogwarts and she couldn't turn a match into a pin. She was going to have to work like a maniac to survive. 

After buying the books they stopped to get her fitted for robes. This got a little boring because she just stood there for half and hour while a middle aged witch sent sicsors to cutting bolts of fabric that pinned themselves to her while she helped other customers. 

But the real adventure was when they entered Olivander's, the wand maker's shop. It was a musty little place and all the furnishings were of dark stained wood. In a moment an old man that made her a bit uncomfortable came out of the isles of wands in there dusty boxes and greeted them. 

" Hello there Hagrid," he said "this girl couldn't be a first year could she?"

" No, she sure isn't," Hagrid admitted. " This here is Jordan McNeil. This will be herr firs' year at Hogwarts. I guess ye could call her a late bloomer." 

" Greetings to the magical world, Jordan," said Olivander with a strange little smile. 

Jordan smiled back a little unsure. 

"We should get started right away finding your wand," Olivander continued.

He started taking down a whole bunch of little boxes from the shelves and handing her the wands. Each wand she tried did something different. One of them let foul smelling smoke out one end. The next caused the globe in the corner of the room to explode. Another blew the leg off of one of the chairs in the room. It continued like this for what seemed like hours ( because of course, it had been hours). Olivander stopped thinking before he pulled wands off the shelf. He just started handing them to her randomly. 

"Not to worry," he said in a shaky voice that sounded like he had had one to many cups of coffee that morning " there will be a wand for you here. I have never failed to find a wand for a customer." 

But there wasn't a wand there for Jordan. She had tried every wand in the shop. In the end, he handed her black one made of ebony with a unicorn hair center and told her it would have to do. This one had only set the fern by the wall on fire. Jordan and Hagrid left the store with spirits not so high as they had been when they entered and Olivander looking quite depressed. 

Hagrid and Jordan apparated into the forbidden forest as Jordan learned it was called, and walked the rest of the way to Hogwarts. They tromped along in silence until Jordan asked:

"Hagrid, why was there no wand for me at Olivanders."

"Probably for the same reason the ministry didn't want ye to know 'bout magic," said Hagrid absent mindedly.

"Ye didn't hear tha' ye un'ersand?" he said quickly.   
Jordan nodded and they continued on there way.


	5. The Sorting

Chapter five: the sorting

  
Jordan and Hagrid entered the great hall at dinner just as Dumbledor was announcing that a new student was to be attending Hogwarts. All the students at the different house tables were staring at her as she made her way to the front of the room. The sorting hat was sitting on a bench and professor Mcgonagle gave her a little nod indicating she should put it on.

Jordan sat down on the bench and placed the hat on her head. Immediately the hat started mumbling thoughts to itself.

"fairly honest most of the time, oh doesn't like to work hard unless she is motivated, hmm," it whispered.

"I guess she can't go in Hufflepuff then," it continued. " How about Ravenclaw, she is very smart, Oh would rather be daydreaming I see. No, not much of a Ravenclaw. But is she really brave enough to be a Gryffindor?" 

At this she thought:

"I'm not always brave, but I want more than anything to have an adventure. I think I deserve a chance. Sometimes trying is as brave as actually getting there." 

"True, true," it responded "you do want it more than anything don't you. Well that is mighty interesting. What's this? Your father was a slytherin?"

"My father didn't even go here he is a muggle," Jordan thought " whats wrong with this thing."

"No, no! Your father did attend this school. You should follow in his footsteps. It is clear you are a slytherin," the hat insisted. 

Then, it hollered out "Slytherin" at the top of its nonexistant lungs.

The Slytherin table cheered although everyone else looked disappointed. 

No one was as disappointed as Jordan. What did it mean her father was a slytherin? Her father was at home living like the muggle he was. Wasn't he? Right now there was a more pressing matter than that. She looked around at the table she was seated at. The people here were not the best looking she had ever seen or was it just that they were holding their noses a few to inches high in the air. She decided it was a mixture of both. 

Jordan looked up at the staff table. Out of all the faces in the room the most surprised one was Hagrid's. He obviously didn't think she was a Slytherin. Neither did Jordan. Then her eyes fell on the man that she had met sitting in the hall outside Dumbldor's office with the greasy black hair. The girl next to her followed her gaze and said:

"That's Snape. He is the head of the Slytherin house. I'm Pansy Perkinson." Jordan looked over at the girl. She, like the rest of the table wasn't one of the best looking people Jordan had seen. She had a wide face and a big nose. Jordan just looked at her blankly. 

As time went on Jordan found that she liked the Slytherins less and less. She wasn't surprised. One day, she was sitting in the girls dormitory overhearing Pansy rant about how pathetic Harry Potter was. Over time she had learned of Harry and Voldemort and the whole history of the battle. 

"Honestly," Pansy huffed " he thinks he's so great because of some stupid scare on his forehead that he totally deserves. I'll bet Draco could take him any day."

Jordan had heard way to much of this from pansy over the last few weeks and until now she had said nothing, but this was getting to be just a little to much for her. 

"You really think that sniveling little string bean could take Harry?" Jordan retorted. 

"Draco, a string bean? What are you saying Jordan," Pansy shot back at her " You had better watch your mouth if you know what's good for you."

"I know just what's good for me," Jordan continued "You're the one who should be watching her mouth. Be careful, your voice is almost as ugly as you are."

With that, Pansy took a swing at her. Jordan was fare to quick. Pansy looked like Hagrid next to Jordan, but Jordan was naturally a better fighter, not to mention she had taken several karate lessons when she was younger. Not to say that she was very skilled, but even so Jordan had the advantage: a brain. In a second Jordan had Pansy on the ground and Pansy's wand in her hand. With one foot over the massive girl's mouth, Pansy couldn't mumble even one spell to get the wand back into her possession. All the other Slytherin girls stood around waiting for Pansy to knock Jordan unconsiouse, but this was far from possible. 

"I don't want to here your putrid voice saying any more ugly things about people who are in a much higher station than you Pansy," said Jordan hotly " If you do, remember that I'm the one who's got the wand and I'm the one who decides if it stays in one piece or not!" 

Jordan removed her foot from Pansy's mouth who got up and grumbled something and snatched her wand back. Ever since then she was most unpopular with the slytherins, which was no surprise and because she was a Slytherin, she couldn't make friends with any of the students from the other houses.


	6. The Friendship

Read This if You Lack a Certain Amount of Brainpower (or if your anyone else)  
  
  
  
Ok, for all of those who don't understand, the whole part of this story from the time Jordan walked away from Malfoy in the dungeons has been a flash back to earlier in the year. I realize that was a very long flash back and I may have lost a few of you ( if anyone is even reading this! Speaking of which, I need more reviews. I'm starting to feel like a very pathetic failure. Not that anyone cares, anyway, on with the story!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter six: the friendship  
  
  
  
  
  
Jordan suddenly bumped into someone and was pulled from her memories. She quickly remembered that she was still walking to her potions class and her triumph in humiliating Malfoy.  
  
She looked up and saw Harry Potter staring down at her. He was smiling. No one had smiled at her in a long time. She smiled back.  
  
"That was so funny how you handled Malfoy back there," said Harry "Your name is Jordan right? I think I met you in the forbidden forest at the beginning of the year."  
  
"Ya, you did meet me in the forest." Jordan said.  
  
"I can't believe they put you in Slytherin," he blurted out.  
  
Harry felt a bit embarrassed. He didn't even know this girl and he hadn't ment to be so forward, but he had been amazed at where the sorting hat had placed her. Somehow he just wanted to tell her that. Maybe it was because she looked a little lonely, or maybe because he admired her quick mind. He had seen this girl alone a lot and come to think of it, she didn't seem to have any friends. Maybe she was lonely. Before he knew what he was doing he said  
  
"My friends are sick, and I don't have anyone to be partners with in potions. Do you want to work together?"  
  
"Sure," she said smiling " I always dread being paired with Pansy Perkinson."  
  
Harry realized that he didn't feel nervous around Jordan like he usually did with people he didn't know all that well. So he asked:  
  
"Do you like any of the Slytherins?"  
  
"Oh no," she said in a matter of fact sort of way " there really awful people you know."  
  
"I'm aware," said Harry with a backward glance at Malfoy.  
  
Harry and Jordan seemed to work well together in potions that day. Jordan was actually pretty good at potions. She told Harry it was a result of taking a home ekinomics class at her old school which involved a lot of measuring ingrediance .  
  
However, Harry did discover something odd that day. Snape, who always favored students from his own house seemed to hate Jordan almost as much as he hated Harry. He spent the last part of the lesson finding ways to criticize Jordan's obviously perfect potion. He told Jordan this at the end of the lesson, but she didn't think it was all that strange. She just said  
  
"Well, it doesn't sound all that peculiar to me. I mean, I did kick the shit out of Pansy Perkinson."  
  
Harry shrugged and they continued on their way.  
  
The next day Ron and Hermione were still sick so Harry gladly accepted Jordan's invitation to be his partner again.  
  
This time Jordan finished so early that there was a half an hour left of the class. Jordan took this time to begin an interesting ink design on her left arm. When Harry gave her a strange look she said:  
  
"Ya, a little weird I know, but my design always turn out better on my arm. I do it when I'm bored."  
  
She went back to her arm until Snape caught her fooling around and protested.  
  
"Shouldn't you be working while your in class Ms. McNeil," he said.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said "but Harry and I are already finished."  
  
Harry expected Snape to make some comment on their flawless potion, but instead he violently grabbed her arm, causing he to drop he pen. He stared at the design.  
  
"That's sick McNeil. That's just sick." Snape hollered  
  
"Its just a drawing," Jordan said pleadingly.  
  
It was obvious that Snape was hurting her. It was also obvious that he didn't care in the slightest.  
  
"Oh don't pretend you don't know you wretched girl. Don't insult me so," Snape growled. "Go! You may leave my class! You can go with her Potter," he said as an afterthought as Jordan packed up her things."  
  
She was burning with rage as they left the class. Even with her short steps she was going twice as fast as Harry.  
  
"I cant believe the nerve of that man," she cried.  
  
"So you don't know why he reacted like that?" Harry asked.  
  
"Does it look like I do!" she yelled. "Sorry," she said cooling down a bit. "Do you know why?"  
  
"No," he said in dismay.  
  
It was then that Harry decided what he needed to do. It was a very far fetched idea but he figured he had better give it a shot. Jordan wasn't a Slytherin. He didn't care what the sorting hat said. He wasn't the only one who knew this, either. It was obvious that Snape knew it, and thought it a disgrace. The whole Slytherin house knew it (especially Pansy Perkinson), and Harry was sure that if anyone else every met Jordan (which wasn't likely if she stayed a Slytherin) that they would agree.  
  
That afternoon Harry went to Professor Mcgonale and asked to see Dumbledor.  
  
"What is so urgent that you have to see him?" she asked a bit doubtfully.  
  
"I can't explain," said Harry "but its very important."  
  
"Harry you may as well give up because I'm afraid I cant let you into see Dumbledor without a good reason. If you can't give me that you'll just have to leave," she said flatly.  
  
Harry was about to do just that when dumbledor walked right into the office. He had a way of showing up at the perfect time.  
  
"What's this Harry wants to talk to me about?" he asked "if you have something to say why don't you come into my office I have a little extra time on my hands."  
  
Harry walked with Dumbledor to his office and sat down. He was a little nervous but he over came this within a matter of seconds and plunged right in.  
  
"Dumbledor, I don't think Jordan should stay in the Slytherin house," Harry said in a straight forward manner.  
  
Surprisingly enough Dumbledor smiled.  
  
"I agree entirely," he said simply.  
  
Harry was taken back.  
  
"You do?" Harry stammered.  
  
"I wasn't surprised when the sorting hat placed her there, but I don't think it is the right place for her," he answered.  
  
"Why didn't it surprise you?" harry asked forwardly.  
  
"That is not for you to know. That is only for her to know. I planned on having a talk with her and perhaps changing her house if she thought it should be done. Thank you for reminding me it is better done sooner than later," said Dumbledor. " Is that all you had to say Harry?" he asked.  
  
"Yes sir," said Harry.  
  
  
  
  
  
*** thanx for reading this! Next chapter is cool, at least I think so. The story really gets going, so please keep reading. I'll post it in a couple of days.  
  
  
  
*Holly 


	7. What is Better Left Unknown

Hey! You're about to find out part of Jordan's mystery! Ok, its not really a mystery because its really obvious, but its nice and juicy all the same. If you read this please review, ok? I have nine reviews! That's pretty pathetic considering this is the seventh chapter. So please review, even if u hate me and say nasty things. Thanx, *Holly 

Chapter seven: What is better left unknown

  
The next day Jordan received a call in Herbology saying that she should go to Dumbledor's office immediately. When she reached the office the gargoyle was already open so she walked right in. Dumbledor told her in a seriouse tone to sit down. Jordan began to wonder if this had anything to do with the drawing on her arm that Snape had so strongly disapproved of. 

"Jordan," he started " perhaps you are unaware, but you have a very good friend here at this school."

Jordan didn't know what to say to this. How could she respond to a comment like that? Luckily she didn't have to.

"Mr. Potter came to me yesterday and told me he thought you would be better off in some other house besides Slytherin," he went on.

Had Harry really done that? Dumbledor was right she did have a good friend. She hadn't even known it. 

"Now, I agreed with Mr. Potter, but for reasons he does not know. But these are the things you should know, so I may as well cut to them," he said. "You are not happy in the Slytherin house are you?" 

Jordan shook her head. Of course she wasn't happy. How could she be?

" The reason the sorting hat placed you in slytherin has to do with your father,"

"But my father…" she began but was cut short. 

"Not the father you know, Jordan," he said in a sad voice " a father who doesn't deserve you."

Her mind was racing "well, what other father than the one I know?" she felt like screaming.

"You see Jordan, although neither of your parents know it, your real father is Voldemort," he said in a stony voice. 

Jordan could tell by the look on his face that this was no joke. She wanted to through up, and in a matter of hours, she did.

"How can he be my father, I mean logically," she gasped. Damn logic!

"Wizards are known for sometimes, entering the muggle world, and some of the less respectable ones cause chaos," he explained. " It was so easy, your mother walking home late at night, at about the time she was planing to have a third child, you. Muggle men do it all the time and get away with it. I believe your parents were relieved, because they assumed your mother was already pregnant. Voldemort must have thought he would get to you before the Ministry or Hogwarts did. Only, you know what happened. He fell. You see he wanted and heir. He had no spouse so he used your mother as a target. Your mother is your blood mother and Voldemort is your really father."

This time Jordan couldn't contain herself.

"THAT'S DISCUSTING!" she screamed so loud that the first years in care of magical creatures all the way out on the field tuned their heads to the sound. 

Dumbledor didn't even try to calm her down. He understood.

"So this probably has something to do with why Snape was upset with the drawings on my arm," she raced along.

"Signs invented by Voldemort," Dumbledor commented. 

"Why the ministry didn't want me to know about magic…"

"Afraid you would join him," he added.

"Why there was no wand for me at Olivander's?" she asked.

"I cannot answer that one, Jordan there are things we must discover on our own," said Dumbledor. 

"So I really shouldn't bother asking if I am the reason Voldemort wanted Harry dead from the beginning?" she asked pleadingly.

"There are some things we must discover on our own," he repeated quietly.

"But basically, I'm the missing link to the story," she added.

"Sadly, that is correct," was all he said to that.

"I'm sorry I had to burden you with that, but there are things we must understand even if we sometimes feel it would be better left unknown," he said. "Besides telling you of your… past," he began again " I thought we should probably give the sorting hat one more shot. Maybe you should ask it what house you would do well in besides Slytherin."

Jordan nodded. Dumbledor picked the hat up from its shelf and placed it on her head. As it fell down over her eyes she asked it: "Where would I do well besides slytherin." 

"Hmm… well… lets see. I would say you would have to be a Gryffindor because you must learn to be brave, and as I learned in the past you would do anything for an adventure!" it mumbled cheerily. "Yes indeed it would have to be 

GRIFFINDOR!" it yelled out. 

Dumbledor removed the hat from her head. 

"Well, that's that," he said "I will have your things brought into the Gryffindor tower this afternoon. And Jordan, you must not worry about attending your classes today. I excuse you from them." 

"Thank you," she said shakily and walked out of the room. 

Jordan gladly took the bit of liberty Dumbledor had offered her and didn't attend her classes. She walked straight to Moaning Mertel's bathroom where she was sure no one would find her, and let everything sink in. As it did sink in, she found that her stomach didn't agree with it at all. She spent the best part of an hour throwing up in one of the toilets, and being taunted by Mertel for doing so. She didn't care. Moaning Mertle was the least of her worries right now. After she had thrown up for a while, she began to sob. She felt like she was sinking into the floor. Oh why _hadn't_ she died the day she apparated into the forest? It was starting to get dark outside and she thought she had better head down for dinner. 

"Hey Jordan! Come sit over here," Harry was waving from where he was sitting with his friends Ron and Hermione. 

Jordan pulled an excellent fake smile. She was sure no one could tell the difference. She could do this. She was a good actress when the time was right. She swallowed hard and bit her toung. They wouldn't see her cry! 

When Jordan got back to the Gryffindor common room, everyone wanted to talk to her. They all wanted to know how she had gotten transferred out of the Slytherin house and why. From all directions there were excited Gryffindors patting her on the back, or asking what the Slytherins were like in their house, or how she had found out about Hogwarts. 

"Great job ditching those Slytherins," Fred and George Weasly, Ron's brothers told her. 

They all seemed to think she was some sort of hero for surviving with people like Malfoy and Pansy for so long without becoming one of them. Normally Jordan would have enjoyed the chance to make new friends, but right now she just wanted them to disappear and leave her to the quiet.

It was ten o'clock by the time the room began to clear. By eleven all had gone to bed but one girl. It was Harry's friend, Hermione Granger. When everyone had been circling around Jordan, she had been attempting to finish her charms homework, and now she was just finishing up. The only reason it had taken her so long was because she had made her essay twice as long as it was supposed to be and then had checked over it for errors.

Hermione looked up from her work. It wasn't until now that she had noticed that Jordan was still up. She had thought she was the only one awake. Jordan sat in one of the large arm chairs and stared blindly into the fire. 

"Are you planning to go to bed?" Hermione asked lightly.

"Are you?" Jordan responded blankly.

"I was going to now that I have finished my work," said Hermione.

It was now that Hermione realized that Jordan didn't look quite so perky as she had an hour ago. Maybe she was just tired, but she didn't look like she was planning to head off to bed anytime soon.

"Did you want to be switched to Gryffindor?" asked Hermione who surprised even herself. 

"Oh, it was my first choice," Jordan said looking up "its so much better than Slytherin. I really wanted to be a Gryffindor from the beginning."

"I'm glad you switched," Hermione said, smiling. "Harry told us you worked with him in potions for the last couple days. He says your really good in that class." 

"Ya, its the only class that I'm good in," she said. "I just don't know a thing about magic and I'm hardly any better than the first years in all my other classes, no matter how much extra time I spend on them."

Hemione considered this for a moment. She didn't know Jordan at all, but Harry liked her well enough. Like Harry, she got the feeling that Jordan was in desperate need of some friends. How could she not be, if she had spent over a month with the Slytherins? 

"I could probably help you if you had any trouble with your assignments," Hermione offered. 

Jordan's face lit up like the sun.

"Do you really want to help me?" she asked in awe. 

"Sure," said Hermione "we can meet in the library after lessons tomorrow, if you would like." 

"That would be wonderful!" exclaimed Jordan.

"Great. I'm off to bed then," said Hermione.

She gave a great stretch and headed up the stairs. 

"Despite the horrors of the day, Jordan couldn't help but feel a bit better after the talk with Hermione. She hadn't been around any girls she liked since she came to Hogewarts. She was enjoying the beginning of a friendship that she had with Harry, but it was different than having a girl to talk to. Besides having the oportunity to make a new friend, she was sure a little extra help would go a long way in some of her classes. Walking up the stairs to her dorm room, she almost smiled.


	8. The Letter

Please Review!!!!!!!!! Even if you HATE it review! Make fun of my unchecked spelling and typos and whatever else, but PLEASE, PLEASE, REVIEW!

Chapter eight: The Letter

The first afternoon Jordan spent with the Gryffindors, Harry and Ron walked into the library to finish up their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. There new teacher was very knowledgeable, but less hands on than Lupin had been or for that matter, Mad Eye Moody. He was more interested in having them know the information and write it down than actually seeing them do it. 

"I wish Lupin was still here," Ron commented as they sat down at one of the tables. "Defense Against the Dark Arts is starting to get boring. I think I would even prefer Mad Eye Moody to Mr. Labermoor. 

"I wouldn't," Harry said plainly.

Harry heard a giggle from the other side of the room and looked up to see who it was. His eyes fell on Hermione and Jordan sitting at a table with there seemingly forgotten books spread all over the table. Harry smiled to himself. He was glad Jordan had begun to fit in so quickly. She and Hermione must have been having a lot of fun if Hermione had forgotten about their homework. 

The librarian walked by the two girls, giving a little speech about discipline. Jordan looked down and said in a calm voice 

"Yes Madam Pince," a devilish grin playing across her face. 

In a moment she and Hermione were back to disturbing the rest of the library.

"Yes I do love music," Jordan exclaimed " but there don't seem to be any instruments around here and I don't have time for it anyway. Besides the only songs I know are muggle songs." 

"I like music too, but I'm no good at it," Hermione responded loudly.

"Oh, you cant be too bad," Jordan said, laughing.

"Yes I can!" Hermione almost yelled. 

Harry remembered the way Jordan had made him laugh so hard that day on the way to potions. She seemed to have a tendency to make any situation humorous. Despite, their frequent distractions, Jordan was improving in her classes. Harry was taken back one day in transfiguration when professor Mcgonagle asked someone to give an example of changing a cricket into a parakeet.

"Can anyone besides Ms. Granger manage this?" she said exasperated.

There was no answer from the class. Out of the corner of his eye, harry saw a slow movement from the chair next to Ron's. Jordan had raised her hand. 

"Yes, Ms. McNeil," said Professor Mcgonagl. 

"I…uh…I would like to try," Jordan stammered in a quiet voice. 

"Well then by all means, do," Professor Mcgonagl said in a surprised voice. 

Jordan got up noisily from her seat. She walked to the table in the front of the room with the cricket sitting on it. She removed the jar that was holding it inside. She gave a wave of her wand as if to loosen up and the end sparked and sizzled in disagreement. She winced. Her wand was always giving her trouble, but she seemed to put that aside for the moment. 

"alavar, changes meet, and turn this cricket to a parakeet!" she said. With a swish of her wand there was no longer a cricket, but a little yellow crowned bird sitting on the desk. Hermione flashed her a smile and giggled at the stunned look playing across the faces of the students and the professor.

"Thank you Ms. McNeil," said Professor Mcgonagl, collecting herself. 

Jordan gave a slight nod and went back to her seat. Things like this began to happen more often in many different classes. Jordan was finally catching up with the gang. 

One morning the whole group of friends( Harry Ron Hermione and Jordan) were sitting down to eat breakfast when hundreds of owls swooped in the doors carrying letters for the students. Harry received a letter from Sirius saying he had found a good place to hide for a while, but he would not disclose it in the letter. Ron's letter was from his mother saying he could stay at Hogwarts for Christmas which was coming up. Hermione was warned by her parents that chocolate frogs were going to rot her teeth and that she could also stay for Christmas. Jordan got the usual letter from her mother saying how she was very missed and very loved and everyone was very proud of her etc. In addition, she received a small slip of paper that was slipped into a light blue envelope. Jordan pulled it out and began to read to herself. 

Jordan-

I'm pleased to find that you are making friends and improving in your classes. I have been aware for some time that you enjoy listening to and writing music. It is a pity that you have had no instruments or time to improve in this area. However, I believe that if you were to spend some time down by the dungeons you might find a suit of armor that may interest you. Merry Christmas!

Jordan looked up, and glanced around the Gryffindor table. No one paid any attention to her except Fred Weasly who asked her with a laugh what she was staring at and if he had grown a third eye to please inform him. Jordan looked away feeling ashamed. Her eyes fell on the staff table and onto Dumbledor who gave here a little wink and a smile with his eyes, before continuing with his breakfast. 

That evening while Hermione was doing her homework and Ron and Harry were playing an intense game of wizard chess, Jordan decided it was the perfect time to slip away unnoticed. She stepped out into the Hall and made her way to the dungeons.

She had never seen an unusual suit of armor on the way to Potions, so It must be somewhere past that. There were suits of armor, but they were all alike. Jordan didn't think it could be one of these. On the contrary, if it was connected with something secret, it probably would blend in. She spent the whole evening go over all the suits of armor and finding nothing special about them.

She began to look over the last suit one more time. Gradually a strange sensation came over her. She looked over her shoulder to see Mrs. Noris, Filch's cat racing off in the other direction. Jordan ran for it. She new that within minutes Filch would be appearing in that same spot, and she would probably serve a detention for it. Detention here, was nothing like detention at home. It was much worse. And what's more, she would probably loose a good deal of points from the Gryffindor House for sneaking around. She didn't want them to be mad at her. She would gladly go through hundreds of detentions if it meant that the Gryffindors wouldn't be mad at her. But of course it didn't mean that. It just meant she would have to go through hundreds of detentions, so she knew she had to get back to the Gryffindor common room at the speed of light. And that she did. She sped down the hallways, for once not tripping over her own feet. She sailed over the flights of steps, each leap putting nearly five steps behind her. 

She reached the Portrait hole at the perfectly wrong time. Snape was walking by at that exact moment. She slowed her gait to a stroll and controlled her uneven breathing. 

"What are you doing wandering around the halls this late McNeil," came Snape's cold dark voice.

"I was just heading for my house common room," Jordan said. 

"Why aren't you in there right now?" he persisted. 

"You see one of the teachers asked me to do a little extra work out side of my books. It was part of my extra tutoring," she responded in what she hoped was mock truthfulness. 

"Yes, your extra tutoring," Snape said. The way he way he over ununciated all the concenants showed how much he didn't approve of this. "Get yourself into your common room right away, Miss McNeil, before I have to start taking away points." 

"Yes professor," she mumbled as she walked away quickly. 

Once in the common room, her thoughts went back to the letter and the unknown suit of armor. Maybe Dumbledor hadn't sent the letter. Could it be that she had just imagined Dumbledor winking at her. She decided that she should ask the most knowledgeable mischief makers at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasly. They were sitting in one corner of the common room, probably up to no good. She figured it was better to confront them alone, so she went ahead and asked them right there.

"hey, guys. You wouldn't happen to know of any, uh, different suits of armor lying around this place would you?" she asked awkwardly.

Their eyes lit up. 

"We know about a lot of different stuff around this place," they said together. 

"But, your looking for a suit of armor in particular?" George asked. 

"ya."

"Well, there is one on the second floor who threatens to cut you into pieces if you come to close," Fred commented. 

"Is there anything unusual in the dungeons?" she tried. 

"You mean, besides Snape?" Fred asked. 

"What are you getting at?" George asked half suspiciously. " I mean, we won't ask if you don't want to tell…" 

Jordan could hear the pleading in his voice. Should she tell them what she was up to? No, she didn't have enough information yet, and if Dumbledor had sent the letter, he probably meant it to be for her, and not every student in the school. Jordan decided to let them dangle. It was much more fun that way. The twins sensed that she wasn't going to tell them anything.

"There are some passage ways in the dungeons that lead to different parts of the school, but that's about it," said Fred. " but if we find anything 'unusual' we'll let you know."

It looked like Jordan was just going to have to figure this one out on her own. However, it turned out the exact opposite. Jordan was on her way to potions the next day with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were trying to decide who should be partners with who.

"Jordan, I think you should work with me, because Snape is bound find something wrong with my potion, and yours are always right. You know, so when he tries to poison you with it, it does what its supposed to." Ron suggested. 

"Oh believe me," Jordan answered " he finds plenty wrong with my potions."

"But Ron's right, they still do what there supposed to and no one dies or turns blue or anything," Harry added. 

"True," Jordan gave in "Ok, Ron, You work with me, and Harry and Hermione work together. That way there won't be anything wrong with anyone's potions."

The plane they devised worked, because Snape didn't attempt to harm anyone with the potions because he would surely loose the fight. Again, he did tell Jordan she had to sit outside for the rest of the period because he didn't want her disturbing the class. Like drawing on herself was really disturbing, right. Oh well, there was obviously something wrong with his brain, so she didn't challenge the decision. Reason didn't mean anything to Snape. The mind was unable to comprehend it. 

Jordan slumped down in a corner of the dungeons and waited for the end of the period. Out of no where two ice cold hands fastened themselves around her waist. She was lifted up like a child and placed upright on her feet. The hands proceeded to twist her in their direction. Jordan found herself staring up at an old rusty suit of armor that was standing tall and proud with its sword pointed at her chin. It began to sing her a little ryhme. 

"Behind me lie the places of which you wish to go,

Yet you are standing here as if you do not know, 

So tell me of your story, if you would like to continue 

But if you want to get inside, you must bring it from within you." 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" she said, stunned. 

"Your silly words do not make me grin,

And I told you to bring it from within," the armor responed in an annoyed, but still sing song voice.

Jordan not sure of what else to do, responded in the same way, singing a tune with her words. 

"Professor Snape has made me leave his class,

And I'm uncomfortable talking to rusting pieces of junk,

So Damn it, let me pass!" 

At this, the suit of armor let down its sword and moved aside to reveal a tall narrow opening in the wall. Jordan was unsure of what to do. She really wasn't as brave as she would like to be. If she were Harry or Hermione or Ron, she would walk right in. But she wasn't them and she wasn't as brave as them. She didn't know what sort of magical things she could trust and which might lead her to danger. The armor stood waiting at the side of the entrance. Scared out of her mind, Jordan stepped into the dark closterphobic tunnel. She heard the armor move back into place behind her. There was not light, so becoming increasingly scared, she stumbled over the uneven stone floor for what seemed like an hour. Finally, from fare ahead of her, she could see a tiny bit of light coming down the tunnel. She ran to it and it became more intense by the second. She was almost completely into the light when the passage stopped and she almost fell around the corner of the wall. The armor was right. This was where she had wanted to go.

Before her, basking in the dusty light, cascading down through several window shafts like a waterfall, were an uncountable number of different instruments. Some she had never seen before, others she was very familiar with. She began to walk around to see and touch all the magnificance before her in a sort of daze. She forgot her worry in the tunnel and how terrified she was when the armor had moved in behind her. One of the instruments was like a flat harp that lay on the ground, a pick woven in between the strings. There was an old dusty guitar leaning against the wall. Propped up on an old dark stained shelf lay several very old, very beautiful violins. It was easy to see they were very fine and made with great care. In one corner was massive grand piano. She had seen a lot of pianos in her life but she didn't recognize the brand labeled on the front.

"Wow," she exclaimed. 

At the sound of her voice all the instruments screeched out a note that completely didn't agree with the one being played next to it, until the echo of her words had completely died away. Jordan almost leapt into the air she was so startled. She put her hands to her heart and breathed out a sigh of relief. So these instruments were magical. That should have been a no brainer. No wonder she didn't recognize what kind of piano it was. Then, she had an idea. She sang out one clear not as long as she could, and listened. Every instrument in the room agreed, and mimmicked her. A smile spread across her face. "oh, thank you Dumbledor, thank you!". She went to the piano and began to play. All the instruments played along with it. Then she pointed at one of the violins with her wand and began to sing the song. When she broke off, she kept her wand up and it continued on without her. She began to sing a different part. The violin kept on playing. She put her wand back down at her side but thought "keep going, the song isn't over yet." It kept on playing. The instruments could read her thoughts. They knew what she wanted. This was the most amazing discovery she had made at Hogwarts all year. Out of no where the thought came to her that potions was probably getting out about now and she would have to meet her friends. She turned and left the room hoping that potions wasn't over yet, so no one would catch her sneaking out of the room. She was no longer worried about getting back out past the armor.

When she came to the end of the passage, she sang the armor a little tune about how much fun she had had, and it opened instantly. Luckily, potions hadn't gotten out yet, but she wasn't a moment to soon. In about one minute the students streamed out the door. She met up with her friends.

"So what did you do for the last forty-five minutes," Harry asked. 

"Nothing much," Jordan responded. 

"Well, no one died off our potion, Jordan," 

"Oh, that's just lovely," she commented "Did anyone turn blue?"

"I'm afraid not," said Hermione with a laugh. 


	9. Discovery

Review Me! Thank You. 

Chapter nine: Discovery 

The ground was like a silver woven blanket. Ice crystals were clinging here and there to the grass of the Quidditch field. Harry entered the dressing room with the rest of the team and put on his red and gold Gryffindor jersey. He sat on one of the benches, and waited for the sure speech from their new captain, Gregory Davis. He was a tall, good looking seventh year. He was the kind of person who respected just about everyone no matter how unimportant you seemed. He had plenty of friends and about a million aquaintances because he was someone you just couldn't not be friends with, baring you weren't a Slytherin. He was a nice guy and a really good captain, not to mention an excellent keeper. He had been the understudy for Wood, and in that time he and gotten almost as good. He, like Wood always gave a speech. Luckily his were never as long winded and desperate as Wood's had been. They were filled with reminders of strategies and encouragement, but fairly serious. 

"Now, remember Harry, don't get distracted. Cho is pretty fast on those turns," Gregory finished up. 

"Got it," Harry and the rest of the team left the room and walked out to the field. 

They all took their places, Harry across from Cho, who gave him a melting smile. He smiled back, a little shakily. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and they were off. Harry immediately started searching for the snitch. Lee Jordan shouted out from the stands.

"Katy Bell makes an amazing score within the first few minutes of the game. And here comes alicia taking possession of the quffle. And its in! Another ten points for Gryffindor." 

The Ravenclaws took hold of the quffle, just as Harry spotted the snitch it was right next to the Gryffindor goal posts. Cho had already seen it and was heading in that direction like lightening. Harry went as fast as he could. He wasn't going to let the fact that Cho was a very nice, very pretty girl, stop him from winning this game. He had almost made that mistake in his third year. It wouldn't happen again. As he closed in, on of the Ravenclaw chasers hit the quffle and scored a point. In that moment that the snitch was hidden from view by the quffle, it disappeared. He pulled away, and flew high above the stands to get a good look at the field. The search for the snitch continued. 

"An extraordinary block by Gregory Davis. The Gryffindors are really lucky to have him. Oliver Wood had better watch out, he may be seeing Davis in pro with him some day," Lee yelled. 

Another score for Ravenclaw, then a score for Gryffindor. They were moving in a perpetual tie. Back and forth, until Harry spotted a little glimmer of gold directly above his head. He and Cho noticed at the same time. Harry shot into the air like a cork screw. He and Cho were side by slide the snitch just out of reach ahead of them. they followed it into a dive, Harry remembering Gregory's advice turned just a moment before Cho. He stretched out his fingers as long as they could go and closed it in his palm. He pulled up swiftly to avoid a mouthful of dirt, then landed smoothly on the ground. All the Gryffindors gushed from the stands.

"That was really great Harry," Cho said from behind him.

Harry turned. She was smiling at him.

"Thanks," he returned "but I only caught it on account of my arms are longer than yours." 

Cho laughed. It made Harry think of the light sprinkle of rain after a heavy down pour. He smiled what he thought was probably a very dopey grin. He was pulled out of his trance by a great thud to his back. 

"Sorry," harry turned to see Jordan breathing quickly and the smile sticking to her face the whole while. "I didn't mean to bump into you," she said laughing. "but that was amazing!"

Ron and Hermione hustled over to join in. 

"That was a great catch, Harry," Ron said, his enthusiasm obvious "you and Cho were neck and neck!" 

"She's a great flier," Harry said admiringly. Harry turned to see if she was still behind him, but she had vanished. 

"Come on, there is a party in the common room, but we had better hurry because we all have those reports in History of Magic due by the end of the brake and we don't want to have to do them after Christmas," Hermione Declared.

"Sure Hermione," Ron said sarcastically "We should definitely do them during the party and get them over with." 

They had all turned to leave when Gregory shouted after them 

"Hey Harry, Great game!"

They all stopped and let him catch up with them. 

"Thanks Gregory, you made a lot of good saves yourself," Harry noticed Gregory eyeing Jordan curiously.

"Your Jordan, right?" he asked. "I've seen you in the common room, but I'm afraid I never actually met you."

"Yes, I'm Jordan," she said still smiling. "That was a good game you pulled off." 

"Thanks, well, I'll see you around. Bye everyone," he dashed off to congradulate the Ravenclaws, because he was that type of guy. 

Back in the Gryffindor common room, the team was showered with candy. Harry ate it all except the firecracker frogs. They looked a bit suspicious to Harry, after all they were being handed out by the Weasly twins. Sure enough, a few of the Gryffindors were blown up against the walls; a result of the little frog candies exploding in their mouths. At twelve o'clock the party was still in full swing. Harry saw Fred Weasly offer a firecracker frog to the unsuspecting Jordan. For a moment he considered telling her. He felt bad, so he was about to, but then decided against it. He knew Jordan well. If the Weasly's got her, she would get them back and it would be hilarious. When Jordan accepted the frog, she was so light that she was thrown from the ground and hit the wall more than half way up. She slide down and hit the floor with a thud. She stood up and brushed herself off. The twins were shaking and falling over each other with laughter. 

"I'm surprised," she said in her tone of Mock kindness. "Preparing for the Joke shop eh? 

The Weaslys nodded. 

Jordan smiled. " Who knew you could make a living using your premature brains." 

The twins were silent for a moment, looked at each other and started laughing even harder. 

Their mouths wide open, and laughing so hard their eyes were closed, they didn't realize until they hit and cracked the celing that Jordan had shoved five fire cracker frogs into each one of their mouths. In a moment professor McGonagle was standing in the portrait hole, her eyes like knives. She glanced at the celing and raised her eyebrows. 

"Fred, George, explain."

Both boys started taking at once, but both ended up pointing at Jordan. Professor McGonalgle rolled her eyes. 

"Never mind" she said in a huffy voice. "Expect to be in my office tomorrow morning after breakfast." 

She glanced back to the roof.

"Repairo," she announced, and the cracked celing was restored to how it had always been. "It is about time you all go to bed. This party is over," she turned and left through the portrait hole.

The twins stared intensely at Jordan.

"Have you got anything to say?" Jordan's face seemed to be asking the same question. 

"you…you framed us," George stammered, half in annoyance half in awe. 

"Well what did you expect," Said Jordan, matter-of-factly. "perhaps those premature brains need some fine tuning after all." She bounced up the stairs to the girls dormitory. 

The next potions lesson, Jordan was again asked to leave the class. Since Snape couldn't humiliate her, he may as well get rid of her. She was of no use to him, and plus, she was a nusance. As she left the class, Malfoy sneered at her. 

"Bye Draco," she said sweetly. 

"Silently!" Snape bellowed. 

Snape always lost his temper with her. He was cruel to the other students, but kept himself under control. He really just couldn't stand her. But Jordan was glad Snape had dissmissed her, this meant she could spend time in the music room. 

She greeted the armor. Between mixed up songs and riddles she had found that the armor had belonged to a knight who loved to hear music. When he died his armor was put up to guard the room. Whatever was left of the knights soul was in the armor and liked very much to here the music. 

As she entered the room, all the instruments hummed in approval. She sat down at the piano and began to play a song she had been working at. All the other instruments took up their part as she had taught them. Jordan had found, she just needed to play their part once and then they remembered it. The next time she started to play the song they would join in immediately.

Back in the potions room, Snape was getting fed up. Harry's potion had worked correctly and so had his antidote. He was furious. How dare he do anything right! So Snape sent him from the classroom as he had with Jordan. 

"Go join your little friend outside," he spat. " and mind you enjoy no marry making." 

Harry nodded and pushed in his chair. He tried to look grim, but he almost burst out laughing. He loved it when he beat Snape, and it was happening a lot more often. Yet, when he exited the classroom, Jordan was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in the hallway, or around any corners. Perhaps she always took off after class, but no, she always met up with them and they all left together at the end of class. Where was she? In Harry's attempts to find her. He stumbled into an old rusty suit of armor leaning against the wall. Harry thought a moment. Had that armor always been there? He glanced around the corner. The armor was just aside enough to reveal a hole in the wall, the exact size to climb through. It was some sort of passage way. A light humming was coming from it. Hadn't Dumbledor mentioned something about Jordan needing to know certain things about herself and why she was placed in Slytherin in the begginning of the year. Harry got a queer feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he was about the take his potions final. Jordan might be in danger. This seemed very out of the ordinary- not for himself( it was almost Christmas break, someone really should have been out to get him by now) but for Jordan, who he assumed was a fairly ordinary girl. 

Harry deciced to go for it, and he slipped in through the tunnel. As he did so the armor seemed to wake up and become alive. The armor was singing something to him- _singing_ something? From the tone of the song, Harry didn't think he approved much of him entering the tunnel. But it was too late. He kept running down the tunnel. The humming grew louder, then slowly changed into a haunted melody with no words. The tunnel stopped abruptly and Harry was thrown around a sharp corner and almost lost his balance. Daylight seeped through the skylights and high windows of the room. Bathed in light were hundreds of instruments surrounding Jordan playing the piano and singing a song that indeed did have words, but Harry was too stunned to notice them. Every instrument was following Jordan's lead and playing its own part. Jordan continued on with no clue she had an audience and sounding all the better because of it. Finally she looked up as she finished playing and the notes began to dwindle into the air. She stared at him with her eyes wide and her mouth open like she was going to say something but had forgotten what it was. Horror and fear shaded her face. Harry was almost as surprised by her expression as she was by seeing him there. 

"That…that…was…was pretty," Harry stuttered, breaking the silence. 

"But…the armor…, how did you…" her expression changed to a look of something close to irritation. "Your not supposed to know I'm in here!" 

"Well, the armor was halfway covering this passage and…" he started to explain.

"Oh, how careless of him! God, he was probably spacing out again. I think the music distracts him," she said in frustration. "Just don't tell anyone I'm in here will you?"

"I won't tell anyone, not if you don't want me too," Harry agreed, confused as to why it was a secret. She seemed to read his thoughts. 

"Its just that, I don't like people knowing I make up songs and things like that. I'm afraid they'll think its stupid or not like my songs or whatever." She sounded a bit ashamed. 

"Lets go back out and wait in the hall," she suggested. Harry nodded in agreement. When they came out, Snape was just coming out the door of the Potions room. They took up a casual position instantly and faked they had been there the whole while. 

"What have you two been up to?" he inquired. 

"Nothing at all." Said Jordan, sounding confused. She really was a brilliant actress when she needed to be Harry thought to himself.

"Mr. Mlfoy tells me that when I sent him for you, you were not here like you should have been," Snape noted warningly. 

"We were just around the corner, waiting, we came back here to meet our friends when they came out of class," Harry added, going with Jordan's attitude.

"I rather doubt that Mr. Malfoy lied about finding you out here. However I don't place it below either of you," Snape added lightly.

"Perhaps he didn't see us," Jordan suggested " there must be thousands of corners down here." 

"Not quite a thousand, Miss McNiel. Now if you would graciously follow me back into class, I am giving everyone a pop quiz. Oh, and that will be ten points form Gryffindor for each of you. Hurry up, now. You wasting my time." he said Harshly.

"Another thing, don't expect to be let out of class early from now on," Snape said his back turned to them as the reentered the classroom. 


End file.
